The larger of the two is circular and covered in wood whilst the smaller is just a simple slot in the wall.

These two holes are one of the few remaining vestiges of La Casa de la Misericòrdia - the House of Mercy, which was a religious institution run by nuns in the 19th century.

Until
a generation ago, the wooden hole was a revolving door through which
unmarried mothers anonymously abandoned their unwanted babies often
under the shadow of night.

The small slot was where finanancial donations could be made to the nuns to help with the running of the hospice.

What
is now local government administrative offices is actually part of a
much larger collection of buildings many of which are still owned by the
church and dedicated to charitable purposes.

The institution
actually dates from 1581 when Diego Pérez de Valvidia, priest and
Professor at the University of Barcelona, decided to found a small safe
house for the homeless.

In only three years, the asylum was already known as the Hospital de Nostra Senyora de la Misericòrdia and a century later it finally became La Casa de la Misericòrdia, dedicated to helping donzellas necesitadas de amparo - damsels in need of shelter.

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